The highways across America have become dangerous places, especially during the inky darkness of the night.
In America, driving comes with a plethora of dangers to consider, and operating any vehicle in the darkness is no laughing matter. State officials regularly test new developments that promise to make the roads of the US much safer places to drive.
How difficult do you find it drive when the nightly darkness makes seeing even the most basic dangers a challenge?
When even having the lights on isn’t enough to drive safely
The obvious danger that comes with driving at night can not be understated.
The laws that govern the roads require drivers to clear the snow from their roofs and lights before heading out, as well as operating their lights on low beam to improve visibility. States such as New Jersey enforce the rules that require drivers to remove any excess snow from their vehicles or face a significant fine.
However, sometimes simply removing the snow is not enough, especially as the roads become much more dangerous during winter.
Poorly lit roads, especially in rural areas around the nation, have become a serious risk.
Another iconic state has implemented a new traffic light color.
The solution to our visibility issues has already been tested in several nations, such as Malaysia and the Netherlands.
It’s like they painted the roads lines with a highlighter
Recent developments made by the University of Utah may have the answer we have been looking for.
The University has proposed painting the roads with a glow-in-the-dark paint to make visibility clearer, thereby reducing the odds that you might be headed for a terrible crash when driving at night.
You can imagine how clearly seeing any roadmarkings would make driving around the US much easier at night.
We all have seen the glow-in-the-dark clothes and shoes that make seeing people at night easier, so what would happen if we applied this paint to the roads of the United States?
As states like Florida opt to paint green lanes on their roads, another state may become the first in the nation to paint glow-in-the-dark roads, and which one may surprise you.
California may see purple lanes tied to electronic tolls, so color definitely plays a part on the road in the United States.
To deal with speeding issues, the iconic Route 66 will literally sing to you as you drive, making driving a more sensory experience overall.
As it has become clear, glow-in-the-dark paint offers a clearer and more colorful picture for us all, so which state is set to welcome the new paint on its roads in the near future?
One state says “yes” to glow-in-the-dark road lines
The state of Utah may become an exemplar of safe nighttime driving in the United States.
The University of Utah and UDOT have been working on a glow-in-the-dark paint that does not leak out into the roads during wet or snowy weather, a problem that forced some nations that piloted the paint to end their projects abruptly.
The University and UDOT have developed a paint based on “glow in the dark” luminescent phosphors.
The problem has been that when the paint gets wet or is submerged, the rare-earth elements in the paint that make it glow so beautifully leak out into the ground. The University and UDOT developed a custom polymer coating for the ceramic phosphors that prevents leakage.
While the Utah DOT is contemplating the option to paint the roads with the new ceramic coating, no roads have passed the initial proposal phase yet.
As some “living roads” may become a regular occurrence in the near future, Utah may become the best place to drive at night.